If there is anyone in this world that is still holding out for a game
that honors both the rugged tradition of tree chopping macho men and
an urban legend almost as hairy as they are, your prayers have been
answered. If you haven’t been praying for this miracle in fun
time, you are either not from the wooded lands up north or you just
haven’t imagined yet.
Ever since I heard the Monty Python crew sing about being girly and
felling towering pines I have been looking for something to make that
my own reality, minus the danger of being crushed by trees or itchy
flannel. Thankfully I can both live that fantasy of paid deforestation
and stay in the comfortable indoors because of a release from Prolific
Games. “Flapjacks and Sasquatches” is by far one of the
most silly and wonderful card games I have played since stealing friends’
cards as a kid in “Go Fish.”
Right out of the package, this activity has the play anywhere bonus
going for it with a nice transport-anywhere sized box. You get just
about everything you need to play with up to eight players with 136
playing cards, five six-sided dice, 25 card markers and the rules sheet
(which like any other game incredibly easy to lose).
You play the game with two decks of cards, one of which is trees you
can chop down and the other is equipment and action cards, with the
dice used to roll how many chops you get a turn. The goal of the game
is to chop down enough trees, which are each worth so many points, until
you accumulate 21 points and become the Iron Jack (perhaps his secret
identity is Tony Bark). However, until you achieve this goal, you must
keep your axe long enough to accomplish the feat while trying to outwit
your opponents, who will try and out-chop you using arsenal like blisters
and overly friendly sasquatches.
The game is a bit confusing at first with so many possible scenarios
you can use while playing, but I’ve yet to find someone who did
not catch on by the time trees start coming down. This Minnesota based
adventure gives you a chance to be as mean as you want to your fellow
players, but makes you carefully consider your moves as you can only
hold three of the action/equipment cards in your hand at a time (you
lay down cards like an axe to chop trees and can hurt your opponents
for one or more turns).
It’s highly addictive and it is a blast whether you are just playing
with one other person or a full group. The game is also rather balanced
so while it can seem like someone has an unfair advantage one turn,
it can quickly turn in someone else’s favor with victory never
assured. For its adaptability and charm, I’d say “Flapjacks
& Sasquatches” earns four and a half out of five debunked
myths.
More info: You can buy this game online at www.flapjacksandsasquatches.com,
in some stores and other online retailers.